


just the doctor and park jimin in the tardis!

by mel (yagsog)



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Aliens, Alternate Universe - Doctor Who Fusion, Alternate Universe - Space, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Attempt at Humor, Companion Park Jimin (BTS), Domestic Fluff, Grumpy Min Yoongi | Suga, M/M, Mentioned Jeon Jungkook, Mentioned Kim Seokjin | Jin, Mentioned Kim Taehyung | V/Jeon Jungkook, Min Yoongi | Suga Is Bad at Feelings, Min Yoongi | Suga Is Whipped, Park Jimin (BTS) Is a Sweetheart, Time Lord Kim Namjoon | RM, Time Lord Min Yoongi | Suga
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-09 17:29:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17411180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yagsog/pseuds/mel
Summary: Jimin has been traveling with the Doctor for a while now, seeing all kinds of amazing things throughout the galaxies. But when the Doctor starts to regenerate, Jimin doesn't know what to do, and thinks their time is coming to an end, except there is a new Doctor standing in front of him who desperately needs his help.





	1. don't leave me

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Doctor Who AU, so there's a few things you should know before reading the fic.
> 
> If you've watched the show, here's what you should know:  
> \- Namjoon is the 11th Doctor and Yoongi is the 12th, and the fic starts with 11th's regeneration. Jimin is the current companion and Taehyung and Jungkook were the previous companions.
> 
> If you haven't watched DW, here's what you should know:  
> \- The Doctor is an alien and he regenerates, which means that when he's about to die, he doesn't. Instead, he turns into someone else, but only regarding his appearence.  
> \- He travels through time and space in his spaceship/time machine. It's called the TARDIS, which stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. The TARDIS is a police box on the outside, but on the inside it is much bigger.  
> \- He has a sonic screwdriver, which is a tool he uses for A LOT of things. You can find more about its functions [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_screwdriver#Functions).  
> \- There are aliens, and he fights them. Or talks to them, it depends.  
> \- He has people traveling with him, and those are called companions.
> 
> If you have any doubts about how the universe works, please ask them! I'd be more than happy to answer your questions.

He could feel it. Any second now, he was going to vanish. Alright, not really. He was being dramatic, but to a certain extent, he wasn’t entirely wrong. There was going to be no more him. Only another. Another face, another body. The same mind, but not quite. There would be some changes, for sure. But his essence was going to survive, as it always has.

He had his eyes on the console, trying to think if he should go for another ride or not. He wouldn’t make it, probably, but he wanted to. Wanted to feel the TARDIS disappearing from the current place and popping into another. He didn’t have to know where, he just wanted another trip. A quick one. The last one.

But nah, he wasn’t doing that. He didn’t have the strength. Any time now, he was going to be gone. He should spend the rest of the little time he had doing something remarkable. But what?

He heard the door opening, but he didn’t bother to turn to see who it was. He already knew. It was Jimin. He smiled. Thinking about Jimin made him smile. It was inevitable. Jimin had the power of making everyone smile, just by existing. And the Doctor was glad he existed. He was glad he was there. He was glad he wouldn’t have to face this alone.

“You’re not alone,” he heard.

He knew that voice. Oh, he knew that voice very well. It belonged to someone special. Someone he had been missing for a while now since they parted ways. He couldn’t believe he was here. He turned to see the boy he’d found years ago alone in a house in Daegu. But he wasn’t a boy anymore, he was a man. And that man was smiling at him like he was the most precious being in the entire universe. That made him smile even more.

“Tae,” he whispered. He couldn’t believe his eyes, it was certainly a trick. “Taehyung, you’re here.”

“Of course I’m here,” Tae said, rolling his eyes. “You think I’d miss seeing you one last time?” Tae went down the stairs that separated them. “God knows what you will look like next.”

Tae was trying to be funny, like always, but the Doctor knew something wasn’t quite right. Something was missing. No, not something. Someone. And then he remembered.

“Tell me,” he started, trying hard not to let the tears fall. “Did you find Jungkook?” He couldn’t smile anymore. “Please tell me that you did, I have been worried sick since he disappeared.”

Tae pursed his lips. The Doctor waited. He felt a tear running down his face. He wasn’t ready to find out about Jungkook, but he had to. He had to know what happened to him, and if Tae had found him or not.

“You already know the answer to that question, Doctor,” Tae stated. “You know that I did. You know I wouldn’t leave him alone. Do you trust me?” Tae asked.

“I trust you, you know I do,” he smiled again, feeling like everything was suddenly in place, where it was supposed to be.

He hadn’t noticed before, but Tae was now standing right in front of him. Tae lifted his right arm and the Doctor felt his hand touch his cheek. His smile widened and he closed his eyes.

“Good night, Namjoon,” Tae declared.

When he opened his eyes again, Taehyung was gone.

 

* * *

 

Jimin was panicking, there was absolutely no doubt of it. He was more than used to all the timey-wimey stuff that had been happening for the past few months, but nothing could have prepared him for what was happening. He wasn’t entirely sure of _what_ was going on exactly, but he had the faintest idea.

The Doctor was going to change. He’d seen it before. When they tried to save Gallifrey, he had seen the other faces of the Doctor. And moments ago… moments ago he’d seen the other ten versions of him. He knew what was going to happen. But he wasn’t ready. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye.

They were inside the TARDIS now. The Doctor was standing beside the console, hands on some buttons, but he wouldn’t press any of them. Jimin tried calling his name, but he didn’t answer. He didn’t even look at his direction. It was almost like he couldn’t see Jimin was there.

But then he turned. He still wouldn’t acknowledge Jimin’s presence, but he had his eyes fixed on something else. On nothing, to be more precise. Jimin followed his gaze, but he couldn’t see anything. But the Doctor most certainly could, because he was smiling now. The smile Jimin loved. It made him grin as well, but not as brightly as his friend’s, ‘cause he knew what was going to happen.

“Tae,” The Doctor said, his voice was nothing more than a whisper. “Taehyung, you’re here.”

Jimin had heard that name before. It’s how the previous companion was called. Jimin never met him, and he never would. The Doctor never told him what happened to Taehyung, but Jimin could only imagine. He knew traveling through space and time was dangerous, he’d lost count how many times something bad happened to him. So to say he had no clue about what had happened to Taehyung would be a lie. He was almost sure that the boy was gone.

“Tell me,” The Doctor said again, getting Jimin’s full attention, even though Jimin knew he wasn’t talking to him. “Did you find Jungkook?” His smile faltered. “Please tell me that you did, I have been worried sick since he disappeared.”

Jimin saw a single tear running down his cheek and he had to be strong enough not to go to him and wipe it.

“I trust you, you know I do,” he said, smiling again, and walking towards the steps of the small stairs that led to another level of the console room.

Jimin felt like an intruder. Like he wasn’t supposed to be there. It was almost like he was witnessing something that was meant to be a secret, yet here he was. Fighting against his own thoughts not to crumble. That shouldn’t be happening. He still had so much more to do. So much more to see. The universe had been calling his name for years, but right now it felt like it hadn’t meant a thing, because he wouldn’t share any of those adventures with the Doctor.

Jimin suddenly felt like he was being watched. And he was. The Doctor had his eyes set on him. And it made him freak out.

“Are you okay?” Jimin immediately asked. “Do you need anything? I can get you whatever you want, just tell me.” Jimin approached him, touching his shoulder to make sure he wouldn’t fall or anything.

“Jimin, it’s not like I’m going to die,” he said. “I mean, maybe a little…” Jimin could tell he was trying to joke.

“Shut up, Doctor, don’t say stuff like that!” Jimin demanded. “I’m sad.”

“Why?” The Doctor wasn’t smiling anymore. “What’s going on?”

“You,” Jimin said. “You’re leaving me.”

The Doctor seemed to understand. “No, Jimin, I’m not leaving you.” His smile was weak but was smiling anyway. For Jimin’s sake. And Jimin knew that.

“How can you say that?” Jimin asked quietly. “I know what’s going to happen,” Jimin told him like he’d found out the Doctor’s biggest secret. “You’re going to regenerate.”

“Yes,” the Doctor nodded. “And?” He raised one of his eyebrows.

Jimin whined. “It’s not going to be you.”

“What do you mean?” The Doctor knew exactly what he meant, and he wanted him to say it anyway.

“You know what I mean, don’t play dumb,” Jimin scoffed. “You’re not dumb. In fact, you’re the smartest man I know,” he admitted, but it wasn’t something new.

“You’re right,” he agreed. “But it’s nice to feel wanted, you know…”

Jimin rolled his eyes. He would’ve playfully punched the Doctor, but he was basically dying, and it would be wrong to punch a dying man. The thought made Jimin shiver.

“Fine,” Jimin caved. “I’ll miss you. I know you’ll still be here, but I’ll miss you.” He said, looking into the Doctor’s brown eyes. “You.” He pointed at him. “This body, this face. That’s what I’ll miss.”

The Doctor laughed. And Jimin felt like the world was ending. Not because of his laugh, but because he would never listen to it again. And that was outrageous. He loved the Doctor’s laugh. It was terrible that it was the last time he was hearing it.

“I feel flattered right now, but I’m pretty sure that will stop when I’m not me anymore.” It felt like the Doctor was telling him a secret.

“What?” Jimin wanted to panic because of the new information.

“Nothing. Nevermind. We’ll figure it out later.”

“Not _we_ , though,” Jimin bickered. “Me and the other you.”

“Jimin,” he snapped. “Don’t be mean.”

“I can’t help it,” Jimin complained. “You don’t know what it’s like. I’m used to you. I like you. I like what we have,” he explained. “I know you’ve had other people traveling with you, but it’s not the same. They don’t change. They are always them. But you change. And how am I supposed to be sure you won’t change how you act when you’re around me?” He was basically challenging the Doctor now, but he didn’t care. If the Doctor could throw harsh words at him, he most definitely could do it back.

“Well,” the Doctor began. “I can’t tell for sure how am I going to react to things when I regenerate, but I can assure you I won’t treat you badly, Jimin,” he smiled. “I could never. You’re too important, you know?”

Jimin felt his heart ache. He wasn’t ready for this. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t see the most important person to him die. Well, not die. But disappear. Turn into someone else. What if Jimin didn’t like the new Doctor? That was a possibility. But he couldn’t say that, not after all the mean things he had already said.

He had to be strong. The man in front of him seemed to be in pain. Not just physically, but emotionally, Jimin could tell. He knew the Doctor. Even though he wouldn’t always tell him what he was feeling, Jimin didn’t need words. He just knew. And right now, Jimin had to be strong. Not just for him, but for both of them. Especially for the Doctor.

Jimin could complain about everything he wanted, and he knew the Doctor wouldn’t be mad. But he’d done that enough already. And by the way the Doctor was acting, trying to stand up, but was actually leaning against the console, Jimin knew he didn’t have much time.

Their time was ending. He wanted to make it last, but what he could actually do was make it worth it.

“I’m so glad I met you,” Jimin said instead. “You know that, right?”

The Doctor only nodded.

“Tell me something,” Jimin suddenly asked, trying to make the most of the time they had left.

“What do you want to know?” The Doctor asked gently.

“Tell me about Taehyung and Jungkook,” Jimin whispered. “I heard you saying their names not too long ago.”

The Doctor sighed and closed his eyes. Jimin could tell this was a touchy subject and that, maybe, it wasn’t his place to ask, but he really wanted to know. He knew they were important to the Doctor, he just wanted to know why.

“Taehyung,” the Doctor started, “was the first face this face saw.” He pointed at his face with a sad smile. “He was only a child when I stopped at his place. The TARDIS was malfunctioning after my last regeneration and I ended up there. We talked for a bit, he gave me some food because I was starving, and then I left, but promised to return.”

“Did something go wrong?” Jimin asked. “You look like you’re about to tell me something bad.”

“Not quite,” the Doctor explained. “I mean, I was supposed to return and find the kid that I left for a moment, but I was getting the hang of time travel all over again, so when I went back to his place, he wasn’t a child anymore. He was an adult, and he was about to get married.”

“To whom?” Jimin questioned.

“To Jungkook, of course,” the Doctor answered like it was obvious. “Their wedding was incredible. I was invited, can you believe that?” He laughed. “Then they started traveling with me. It was amazing, they were so full of life, always eager to learn about the universe.” He stopped and Jimin held his breath. “But almost two years ago… They died. We were fighting against the Weeping Angels, aliens that are like statues and move when you’re not looking at them.”

Jimin blinked once, then twice. He opened his mouth, but he didn’t know what to say. The aliens the Doctor was describing, they sounded familiar to Jimin, but he never encountered them. At least not when he was… No. It couldn’t be.

Jimin gulped. “What… What do they do?” he muttered.

“Their touch causes a paradox that will send whoever’s been touched to the past. They will proceed to feed off the energy of the years that the person would’ve lived.”

Jimin is shivering. He didn’t know what to say. Or how to say it.

“I think…” Jimin paused, trying to keep his voice under control. “I think I need to tell you something.”

“Okay?” the Doctor looked at him, a little confused.

“I don’t know what would’ve happened to me if it weren’t for you,” Jimin confessed. He needed to let this out before it was too late. “The first time I met you… I’ll never forget it. That’s…” Jimin didn’t know how to say it, but he had to try. “That’s when my whole world changed.”

“Now you’re just saying things,” the Doctor teased him and Jimin fought really hard not to cry.

“You know I’m not,” he kept going. “It’s just… I didn’t know what was going on. I was alone at the warehouse, looking at old statues for my assignment. I didn’t even want to be there, you know? I just had to. My classmate couldn’t go, so I had to do it myself, ‘cause the project was due in three days.” He looked away for a moment, trying to find the words to go on. “I’ve never told you this because I didn’t want you to feel guilty or anything,” he said as the Doctor’s eyes widened. “Before you got to me, I was taking some pictures, nothing too crazy. But then I started to check them, and I noticed that some of the statues weren’t there anymore, or that they’d moved places or something.” Jimin closed his eyes. He had nightmares about that sometimes. “I thought it was all in my head, I mean, statues can’t move, right?” Jimin paused but didn’t wait for a reply. “So when I turned, I saw one way too close. And I panicked because it wasn’t there before.”

The Doctor’s expression was hard to read, but Jimin just kept going. “I closed my eyes for an instant and when I opened them again, the statue was a bit closer…” Jimin was staring at the Doctor who was looking at him with shock on his eyes. “That was when I heard the TARDIS, but I didn’t move. Then the blue box was in front of me and you opened the door and practically dragged me inside,” Jimin said. “If it weren’t for you, I guess I would’ve died.”

“You wouldn’t have,” the Doctor corrected. “They don’t kill, they just move you through time.”

“Well,” Jimin cleared his voice. “That doesn’t sound as reassuring as you think it does.”

“I know, Jimin, I…” the Doctor’s voice cracked. “The day I met you… was the same day that Taehyung and Jungkook disappeared,” he admitted, making Jimin gasp. “I never understood why the two of us met, but now it all makes sense,” he said with a smile and tears in his eyes. “The TARDIS led me to you, I think.”

“Because of the Weeping Angels?”

“Yes, maybe. I had just lost my friends and you were about to lose your… life, not in the traditional way, but you get it,” he said while rubbing his eyes to get rid of the tears. “We were both surrounded by loss and I think that’s what brought us together.”

“So you’re saying we were destined to be together?” Jimin asked the Doctor nodded. “Wow, you’re so romantic,” Jimin laughed, but then he remembered something. “I’m sorry about Taehyung and Jungkook.”

“I know. I am too,” the Doctor squeezed his hand.

“It’s fine if you change,” Jimin offered, grabbing the Doctor’s other hand and holding it tight. “I’ll still be here with you, okay? When you change. I won’t leave you, I promise.”

“Even after I change?” the Doctor questioned. Jimin could feel his uncertainty, mostly because he shared it a little bit himself.

“Yeah,” he decided. “Even after you change. It doesn’t matter if you’re old or whatever, I’ll still be here with you.”

That made the Doctor smile. He loved it when the Doctor smiled. It made everything seem right.

“That’s good to know,” the Doctor whispered. “‘Cause I think it’s happening.”

“What?” Jimin panicked.

He was making peace with it, but did it have to happen so quickly? Couldn’t he have at least a few more minutes? He wasn’t ready.

But he had to be.

The Doctor dropped his hand.

“Any moment now,” he said.

“What?” Jimin asked.

“The Doctor’s coming,” was the answer.

Jimin took a deep breath, trying to clear his thoughts. He knew what that meant, and despite not being not ready to say goodbye, he had to make peace with it. It was time. He felt the tears fighting to run down his face, and, at some point, he let them. Even though he knew what was about to happen, it didn’t mean he had to be happy about it. In fact, he was devastated. The Doctor’s hands started to glow and he had to fight the urge to grab them and make the glow stop.

“Don’t leave me,” Jimin pleaded.

“I will never leave you, Jimin,” he promised.

Jimin looked into his eyes again, trying to capture everything he could. He thought that maybe if he stared hard enough, it wouldn’t happen, the Doctor wouldn’t go away. He really tried to believe that. But he didn’t have to. Not anymore.

Because one second later, it wasn’t the Doctor staring at him anymore.

It was someone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! this is my first yoonmin fic. i mean, not really, but it's the first i've written by myself. (shameless promo: i have a soulmate au that i've written with thai, so you can check that out too, if you want!)
> 
> i really love yoonmin and i absolutely love doctor who, so i thought why not mix these two things? and this is the result. not the final result, cause it's not over yet. there'll be more chapters, of course.
> 
> like i mentioned before, feel free to ask stuff about the dw universe in case you've never watched the show.
> 
> also, i'd love to hear your thoughts about this chapter, or what you think is going to happen and stuff like that!
> 
> thanks so much for reading it!
> 
> and thanks a lot to thai, for helping me with this fic, otherwise i wouldn't have started it in the first place. <3
> 
> (i'm @yoonbaku on twitter, you can always find me there lol)


	2. just see me

Jimin didn’t know how to react. It was too much information, even though he already knew that this would happen. However, his brain refused to accept the fact his Doctor was gone.

He couldn’t take his eyes off the man in front of him. He couldn’t help but notice how different he was from the previous regeneration. His Doctor was tall, had a sun-kissed complexion and his hair was sort of purple—Jimin couldn’t tell the exact shade. Whereas this man, the one staring back at him, was short, pale and had blond hair.

“Do you know what a toner is?” Jimin said before he could think.

“A what?” Jimin trembled when he heard his voice. He didn’t know how he was supposed to live without hearing the Doctor’s voice anymore.

“A toner,” he continued. “It’s sort of a hair dye that you use right after you bleach your hair, so it doesn’t look too bleached.”

“Are you implying that my hair looks bad?” The man—he refused to call him the Doctor—said suspiciously. “That’s not very polite of you, you know?”

“No, that’s not what I said,” Jimin felt bad for a second. “I was caught off guard by your bleached blond hair, that’s all.”

“From all the things that could possibly be wrong with me, the first one you notice is my hair?” he sounded incredulous.

And then he was falling.

He was on his knees and seemed to be in pain. Jimin suddenly forgot about everything else and ran to help him. He kneeled beside the man, putting his hand on his forehead, checking if he was too hot or not—which he was, a little bit. Jimin got worried, not really sure of what he was supposed to do. Of how he could help.

“What’s going on with you?” he asked.

“I… my brain, it hurts.” The man squeezed his eyes shut while trying to regulate his breathing. “That means I have one, right?”

“I guess,” Jimin offered. “What do you need?”

“I need—AH! Taehyung,” he screamed. “Jungkook!” He was squirming in Jimin’s arms. “Jin! Namjoon!”

“Who is Namjoon?” To say Jimin was confused as hell would be an understatement. He knew who the others were, but the Doctor’s never mentioned a Namjoon before.

“It’s me,” was the answer.

“What?” Jimin’s forehead furrowed. “Do you know who you are?” he tried.

“The Doctor?” he didn’t sound so sure. “Or Namjoon, I don’t know.”

“What the hell?” Jimin almost dropped him. “You told me your name was the Doctor,” he recalled, which served as a reminded—that this man was, in fact, the Doctor.

“Yes,” he gave Jimin a small smile (Jimin’s heart fluttered, but he would never admit it). “It is.”

“But just now you said it was Namjoon.” He wouldn’t let that go so easily.

“Yeah… it’s… the name Taehyung… gave me.” There were too many pauses for Jimin’s liking and he could see that the Doctor was losing consciousness.

“No no no,” Jimin rocked him in his arms. “Stay awake!”

But it was too late.

Jimin checked for his pulse and when he found it, he let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. Just because this man wasn’t his Doctor, it didn’t mean he had to let him die.

Maybe he needed a little rest. Jimin had no clue how regenerations worked, but he was sure it must all kinds of overwhelming, especially since this was a whole new body.

He sighed, lifting the Doctor from the ground and picking him up. Jimin was a little surprised of how light he was. He would always struggle whenever he had to carry the Doctor before, since he was tall and obviously weighed more than now.

Jimin took him to his chambers, placing him on the bed and sitting beside him.

He took a deep breath, trying to think of what to do next. He couldn’t go back home with the Doctor like this—not that Jimin wasn’t capable of flying the TARDIS, but he wasn’t about to be a jerk and leave an unconscious man alone. Not when he couldn’t help himself.

So Jimin waited.

 

* * *

 

He didn’t dream. It had been a while since he had any dreams, but he was kind of hoping he would have a dream or two. But he didn’t. Instead, it was all black. Well, not everything. There were stars, and galaxies, and planets. And that, perhaps, was better than dreams.

He opened his eyes and saw his own ceiling. The one in his room. Okay, not his. Not anymore. Maybe he should change rooms, cause this one was _his_. His previous self’s. He didn’t mind, but maybe a change would be good. He stayed here too long. It was time to do something different.

He sat on the bed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. He finally opened them, noticing he was alone. But he wasn’t before, there was someone else with him.

Jimin.

He let out a squeak.

Where was Jimin?

He got up as fast as he could and left the room, only to bump into somebody.

“Sorry,” it was Jimin. “Are you okay? I heard your voice and came running,” he explained. “I was in the kitchen making some food. Are you hungry?”

“Slow down,” he said, stepping back. “I’m feeling better, thanks. I’m too old for these regenerations,” he scratched the back of his neck. “But to answer your other question: yes, I’m hungry, what did you make?”

Jimin eyed him with concern. “Noodles, that okay?”

He thought about it. “I don’t know? Maybe. Let’s see if I like noodles.”

He waited for Jimin to start walking so he would follow him. He didn’t remember where the kitchen was.

“What do you mean?” Jimin sounded confused. “You love noodles.”

“We don’t know that yet. Just because _he_ liked noodles it doesn’t mean I do too,” he crossed his arms, a bit annoyed.

“He?” Jimin turned his head so he could see him.

“You know,” he rolled his eyes.

“Namjoon?” Jimin offered.

He only nodded.

They finally got to the kitchen. It was a bit different than he remembered. But then again, there was a table and a bowl with noodles in it, and he was hungry.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had a name?” Jimin asked when they both sat by the table.

“But you know my name,” he claimed.

“Yeah,” Jimin agreed. “I know you’re the Doctor, but I didn’t know you were also Namjoon,” he sounded a bit hurt.

“Well,” the Doctor pursed his lips, looking at his bowl, still untouched. “Maybe he didn’t want to tell you,” he gave Jimin a quick glance before grabbing the chopsticks and trying the noodles. “Wow, these are really good. I’m glad I still like it.”

“Are you saying that my—that the previous you didn’t want me to know?”

“Your what?” The Doctor’s eyes narrowed.

“Stop asking questions and answer mine,” Jimin pleaded, looking like a kicked puppy.

The Doctor sighed.

“Taehyung gave me that name,” he told Jimin. “He claimed it was kinda confusing calling me ‘Doctor’ all the time,” he shrugged. “I said no but he insisted, so I let him,” he admitted. “My previous self couldn’t say no to him. If it were me back then no way he would have given me a name,” he said with a smug grin on his face.

“I was pretty confused with your name,” Jimin mumbled, eyes on his noodles.

“What are you trying to say, Jimin?” The Doctor placed the chopsticks on the empty bowl.

“That I deserved to know your other name?” Jimin tried. “I don’t know, it was pretty selfish to keep that information from me.”

“I’m telling you now,” The Doctor smiled.

“Yeah, but now it doesn’t matter anymore,” Jimin said and his eyes got wide one second later.

Oh. _Oh._

“I see,” he said, his voice suddenly harsh, although he didn’t mean for it to sound like that. “You’re right, though. I’m not Namjoon anymore.”

“I didn’t—”

“It’s fine, Jimin, I’m still tired, so I’m gonna sleep some more,” he got up and started to walk away from the table.

He left the kitchen and went through one of the many corridors in the TARDIS. He didn’t remember most of the rooms here, so he had to open and close a lot of doors, mainly because none of them led to bedrooms.

When he finally opened one and saw a bed, he got inside and locked the door.

Perhaps it was a bit childish, but he was kind of hurt by Jimin’s behavior—even if that hadn’t been Jimin’s intention. Something was weird. Well, everything, maybe. What if Jimin didn’t want anything to do with him anymore? Maybe he was there because he felt guilty because he thought that he was somehow responsible for what happened and that he should stay with him through his regeneration.

Well, he’d regenerated. He could leave now.

Maybe it was for the best. Maybe he should travel by himself now. He didn’t like being alone before, but maybe he did now. Yeah, maybe being alone wasn’t so bad. He would have the TARDIS all to himself. He wouldn’t put anyone in danger by dragging them along in his travels. That was a good reason to be alone.

But he could also find someone else to travel with him, right? Since Jimin wasn’t interested. That thought was like a bullet entering one of his hearts. It hurt, he supposed. Because even though Jimin didn’t want him, he wanted Jimin to stay.

It was humiliating, but if he could change back, he would. Just to see Jimin smile again.

He might have forgotten a lot of things, but Jimin’s smile wasn’t one of them. He remembered it clearly. But it felt like a distant memory, and he kind of wanted to see it again so it would stay fresh in his mind.

But then again, Jimin wasn’t happy.

And although it pained him, he understood.

He only then realized he wasn’t tired anymore. He wanted to do something. And he had plenty to do, but what should he do first?

He jumped out of the bed and noticed that there was a giant mirror right next to the door. He saw himself for the first time.

“Not so bad,” he said, looking at his bleached hair and his dark eyes.

Pretty different, still not ginger, but he liked it.

His eyes went through his clothes. He frowned.

He needed a change of outfit. And he needed it now. So he left his new room and went to find the closet.

He walked around for what it felt like hours, but he finally found a closet. It was a mess. Probably from the last time he and Jimin went to the Victorian era, which wasn’t that long ago, but anyways. He needed something new.

He grabbed a few shirts, some hoodies, pants, shoes, and some accessories. He tried all of them and didn’t like any of the things he’d chosen. Picking an outfit was harder than he thought.

“Do you need help?” He jumped at the sound of Jimin’s voice.

“Yeah,” he turned to lock his eyes with Jimin’s. “I need a new outfit and I can’t seem to like any of the clothes here.”

“But you have lots of clothes,” Jimin walked to one of the many racks they had in the room. He grabbed a simple white shirt with long sleeves and a long black coat.

He handed them to him.

“That’s so simple,” The Doctor complained.

“How about this?” Jimin was holding a black and white scarf.

“Nah, I don’t want a scarf this time,” he quickly dismissed it. “How about this?” He pointed at some red pants.

He saw Jimin made a face—a very displeased one, for the record—so he grabbed the pair of pants.

“I’m trying this,” he announced and went to hide behind some of the racks so Jimin wouldn’t see him get changed.

When he was done, he appeared in front of Jimin.

“What do you think?” He opened his arms and waited for Jimin to answer.

“I don’t like the pants, but if you do, that’s fine,” he admitted.

“Yeah, but something’s still miss—”

And then his eyes found a sweater that was, at some point in his life, thrown on the ground. It was black—maybe a dark blue? He wasn’t sure, his eyes weren’t well adjusted yet—with some little windows in yellow, along with some stars and a crescent moon. It was different, but he liked it? He took off the coat and handed it to Jimin. He then proceeded to put on the sweater, taking the collar of the shirt out so it would stay on top of the sweater.

He rolled the dark sleeves, so the white ones would appear and cause some kind of contrast.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror and smiled to himself.

“Who would’ve thought you could look cute with all of this?” Jimin was standing right beside him and his eyes found each other through the mirror.

“I’m stylish like that,” he shrugged.

Jimin laughed a little.

“You need shoes though,” Jimin told him and picked up a pair of boots. “What do you think?”

“I like it.”

Jimin handed him the boots and he put them on right after. It didn’t go well with the pants, but he didn’t care. The important thing was that they were really comfy.

“Do you wanna go somewhere?” he asked Jimin, hoping that he would say yes.

“Don’t you have to rest?” Jimin raised a brow. “I thought you were tired.”

“Not anymore.”

“Well,” Jimin started. “I’m sleepy as hell. Maybe you could take me home?” Jimin suggested.

The Doctor nodded, feeling a bit disappointed. But he was kind of expecting it already. Jimin was used to his previous self, not him. Of course, he would want to leave. He didn’t blame him, though.

They walked to the console room and he went straight to the panel, adjusted the screen and typed the coordinates to Jimin’s place, then he pulled some levers and clicked on some buttons. The TARDIS started to make her usual noise and he finally let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding.

For a second he thought he had forgotten how to fly his spaceship.

When the TARDIS stopped, Jimin walked to the door and he followed him.

“It’s fine,” Jimin said. “You don’t have to come, I can find the way just fine.” It felt like a joke, but neither of them laughed.

“You don’t want me around, huh?” His voice sounded bitter, but he didn’t care.

“I can’t have you walking around with me with those red pants now, can I?” Jimin smirked, but it didn’t seem right.

He was about to answer when Jimin’s phone started to ring.

“I’m gonna take this,” Jimin held the phone so he could see it. “Be right back,” he said, walking away to answer it.

Would he, though?

 

* * *

 

Jimin didn’t even check who was calling, he just walked away from the TARDIS and slid the green button to the right side of the screen.

“Hello?” Nothing. “Who’s this?”

“Jimin.”

Jimin’s whole body stopped. He felt like dying. Or living, he didn’t know. The only thing he was aware of was that he knew his voice. He had heard it just a few hours ago, and he thought he would never listen to it again.

“Who is this?” he asked again, just to confirm it.

“You know who it is,” said the caller. “It’s the Doctor.”

“What?” Jimin was so confused right now. “How?”

“I’m calling you from the past, my past,” he explained. “It’s happening anytime now, Jimin, my regeneration,” he sounded out of breath.

Jimin paused. He didn’t know what to say. He wanted to talk to the Doctor—his Doctor—so bad, but now that he was doing just that, he didn’t know where to begin. He didn’t know how to react.

“Why? Why are you calling me?” he managed to say.

“Because I think you’re freaking out,” was the answer. “I know this is a lot to take in.”

“You bet,” Jimin whispered.

“Jimin, listen to me,” the Doctor pleaded. “You may be scared, but the man… the man there with you, he’s more scared than you can imagine.”

Jimin’s eyes automatically were on the Doctor, standing next to the TARDIS, eyes on him. He turned again, he wasn’t ready to face him just yet.

“Who is it?” The Doctor, the one from now, asked.

“That’s him? That’s the Doctor?” the one on his phone questioned.

“Is that the Doctor?” the other wondered.

“Yes,” Jimin answered, not sure to whom.

“He sounds like a kid,” his Doctor snorted.

“I think he may be older than you, though,” Jimin teased.

“How does he look like?”

“Young,” Jimin told him. “And he has bleached hair,” Jimin giggled.

“Oh, I don’t even wanna know,” he confessed. “Jimin,” his tone was serious now. “I’m gonna ask you for something.”

“What?”

“Help him,” he said. “For me, okay?” Jimin didn’t say anything for a few seconds, but when he was about to, the Doctor spoke. “Goodbye, Jimin.”

Jimin didn’t have the courage to say it back, because if he did, it would be real. Like it wasn’t already. But he never thought he would have the chance to listen to the Doctor one more time. And now it was too late. Again.

“So,” he heard.

He sniffed and cleaned the tears that he didn’t even know had felt down his cheeks. “What?” He turned to the Doctor, ready to fight him if it was necessary.

“He asked you something,” he pointed out. “Will you help me?”

Jimin wanted to punch him for a second.

“You shouldn’t have been listening,” he retorted.

“But I wasn’t!” he said like it was obvious. “That, Jimin, was me.”

Jimin kept looking at him like he wasn’t following.

The Doctor shook his head, a sad smile on his face. Jimin wanted to punch himself now.

“You…” The Doctor started. “You look at me, but you can’t see me, can you?” His eyes didn’t dare to leave Jimin’s. “Is it so hard to believe that I’m him?” Jimin didn’t answer. “I know I’m different now, but… it’s me.” He continued. “You have no idea how this is like for me. I know it’s hard for you, cause I’m different. But you’re acting like I’m fucking dead.” Jimin thought he was about to cry. “Well, I’m not. I’m right here, in front of you.”

Jimin didn’t know what he could possibly say. He knew the Doctor was right. It wasn’t like he wasn’t there anymore, because he was. Right in front of Jimin, just like he said. Jimin had to be strong. He told himself he would be strong. What did he think? That after the regeneration it was all over? It’s not. Because he’s here. Alive. And Jimin was being a baby.

“Please,” the Doctor closed his eyes for a moment, opening them again and fixing them on Jimin. “Just… Just see me.”

And that’s what Jimin did.

He walked towards the Doctor, focusing on his face. He had such pretty eyes, they were dark and very cat-like. He had a cute nose, and small, pouty lips. He seemed so badass with that bleached hair, but his face told Jimin another story. Jimin could see the struggle in his gaze, and he felt bad for neglecting his friend the way he’d been doing since the regeneration.

When he got close enough, he lifted his hand and touched the Doctor’s cheek. “Thanks,” he said.

“What?” He could see that the Doctor was confused.

“For calling me,” he explained. “I needed that.”

“Oh,” the Doctor recalled. “You’re welcome.”

Jimin smiled at him, and that seemed to make him ease up a little.

“I need to know something, though,” Jimin mentioned. “Am I getting another call like that? Because I forgot to scold him for not telling me about his name.”

He thought the Doctor was going to be mad at him for saying something like that, but instead, he just laughed.

“No, not that I remember,” he said.

“Well,” Jimin started. “In that case, I’ll have to bother you, ‘cause I’m still not over that.”

The Doctor shook his head, suppressing a smile. He was about to turn in the ship’s direction when Jimin suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug. He didn’t know why he did that exactly, but it felt like the right thing to do. Before he could dive into more thoughts on whether he should have done that or not, the Doctor started talking.

“I don’t think that I’m a hugging person now,” he confessed in an apologetic manner, and only then Jimin realized he was the only one doing the hugging.

Kind of.

The Doctor didn’t have his arms around Jimin, but he had his chin resting on Jimin’s shoulder, so he guessed the Doctor wasn’t entirely disgusted by the hug and tightened the embrace even more.

“I’m not sure you get a vote,” Jimin laughed, letting him go after a few seconds. “By the way,” Jimin continued, inspecting the block they were in. “This isn’t my place,” he noted, causing the Doctor to grumble while he started walking to the TARDIS.

Today was going to be one hell of a day if they kept this pace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey!!! thanks for everyone who's left a comment, i really appreciate you taking your time to leave your thoughts and stuff like that.
> 
> i hope you like this chapter. it's pretty much domestic moments all over (which i absolutely love).
> 
> i'd love to know what you guys think of yoongi's outfit! if you happen to follow me on twitter or maybe if you've seen the moodboard i've made, you'll notice that his look is featured in there (although we can't really see his clothes there lmao).
> 
> see you next time!


	3. flip the coin and watch me die

“Tell me something I don’t know about you,” Jimin asked the next time they met.

They were chilling in the TARDIS, not really sure of where to go. The Doctor wanted to go to another planet, but Jimin made a face to that, not really feeling like meeting aliens this time.

“There’s so much you don’t know about me, Jimin,” he replied, something a bit mischievous in his eyes. “Tell me something about you, and then I’ll do the same.”

“Fine,” Jimin rolled his eyes. “But don’t you think it kinda feels like we have a crush on each other and are in that phase where we try to find out as much as we can about one another?”

The Doctor gave him a look.

“Do you have a crush on me?” he asked, amused.

“What?” Jimin’s cheeks started to turn red. “Why would you think that?”

“You basically just implied that?” The Doctor said like it was obvious. “Plus, you were the one wanting to know stuff about me,” he shrugged.

“Liar,” Jimin grinned. “You asked something about me too.”

“Yeah,” the Doctor agreed. “But you were the first to ask.”

Jimin couldn’t argue with that.

“Well, when I was a kid, I found a coin while walking on the street and went to the police station to return it,” he offered instead.

“What?!” The Doctor exclaimed. “You didn’t!”

“But I did!” Jimin protested. “I was a good boy back then.”

The Doctor smirked. “Does that mean you’re not a good boy now?”

“Oh my God!” Jimin started laughing. “I can’t believe you’re into that stuff.”

“What? No way I’m into that stuff, I was just messing with you,” the Doctor dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

“I’m relieved,” Jimin confessed. “You’re too soft for that.”

“I am not soft,” the Doctor said with indignation. “You’re soft.”

“I am, yeah, sometimes,” Jimin admitted. “But I’m also a menace so watch out,” he winked.

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” the Doctor walked over to the console. “We have to go somewhere, though, we’ve been stuck here for the past hour trying to figure what’s our destination.”

Jimin looked at him, pressing his lips together, a thought on his mind. Nah, he shouldn’t say it. It was silly, after all, and the Doctor would probably say no. He wasn’t sure of that, of course. But something was telling him that his idea wasn’t the best.

“I can hear you thinking,” the Doctor told him with a smile. “What is it?”

“You’re gonna say no,” Jimin foretold.

The Doctor paused, giving him a look.

“If you’re saying that it’s because you know that what you’re thinking isn’t exactly something we could or should do, and therefore, we really shouldn’t,” he advised. “But if you really want to, go ahead,” the Doctor encouraged him. “Maybe I’m into breaking rules now…” he mused.

Jimin took a deep breath. “Can we go to my childhood? To the day that I just mentioned?” he said and waited two seconds before he continued. “Talking about it made me nostalgic.”

“Let me get this right,” the Doctor started. “You wanna go back to your past? Because you’re nostalgic?” he said in disbelief.

“Yes?” Jimin tried, a small smile forming on his lips. “Please, Doctor! Just for a few minutes.”

“Jimin,” the Doctor said in his serious voice, which sounded less serious than his previous self’s, for some reason. “Going to the past—your past—could cause some major problems in your timeline,” he warned. “Being in contact with your child self could create a paradox.”

Jimin sighed. “I didn’t know that, but I kinda knew it wasn’t something ideal? It sounds too good to be true,” Jimin said. “Visiting myself in the past.”

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t bummed, but he understood the reasons. You shouldn’t mess with time travel. But then he remembered something.

“But we’ve done this before,” Jimin told him. “When we met the War Doctor. It went well.”

“Yeah,” the Doctor nodded. “But it’s not the same. I’m used to all this timey-wimey stuff. You’re not. At least not when you were a kid.”

“Please,” Jimin whined. “I promise I’ll be careful. I won’t touch myself or anything,” he paused. “Wait. That came out wrong,” he blushed.

The Doctor laughed.

“Is that a yes?” Jimin sounded hopeful.

The Doctor stared at him. His eyes met Jimin’s and he knew. He knew the Doctor would say yes.

“Fine,” he said and Jimin smiled, ready to thank him when he continued talking. “But there are some conditions. First, you and your past self can’t get too close. Second, you can’t interfere with anything related to your past, you can only watch. Third, you have to do whatever I tell you to do, no buts,” he explained.

“Okay,” Jimin agreed. “I promise I’ll follow the rules.”

“Okay,” the Doctor repeated. “When did that happen?”

“When I was six,” Jimin answered. “It was the beginning of summer, but I don’t remember the exact date,” he pondered.

The Doctor gave him a smile. “It’s fine, the TARDIS can access your memories to get when it happened.”

Jimin eyes widened as he saw the Doctor moving around the console. “I didn’t even know that.”

“You never asked.”

Fair enough, Jimin thought, a little weirded out that a time machine/spaceship could read his mind. “So that means she knows what I’m thinking?”

“Only when it comes to dates,” the Doctor said. “Ready?” he asked with his hands on the lever.

Jimin nodded.

The Doctor pulled it and the TARDIS started to move and make its usual noise. It didn’t last long this time, only a few seconds then it stopped. He was about to move to the door when someone knocked.

He and the Doctor exchanged glances. ‘Who is it?’ Jimin mouthed, a little bit scared. All sorts of crazy stuff happen all the time, but he had never heard anyone knock on the door before. ‘I don’t know,’ the Doctor mouthed back. ‘Let’s find out!’ And then he moved past Jimin, marching to the door.

When he opened the door, Jimin’s mouth fell.

He was the one standing on the other side.

 

* * *

 

When the Doctor opened the TARDIS’ door, he looked straight ahead. He saw nothing. His first thought was that it was probably a prank, but then his eyes caught something small moving and he looked down, seeing a little boy standing there, holding a red ball against the right side of his body. He gave the boy a smile.

“Hello there,” he said. “What can I do for you?”

“I was just playing when I saw this coin on the floor,” the boy held the object so he could see it. “I looked around to see if it belonged to anyone, but no one came back looking for it, so I was going to the police station because I thought they could return it to the owner. Then I saw your police box outside and ran here. Are you a policeman?” the boy asked.

“No,” the Doctor said. “I’m the Doctor. What’s your name?”

“It’s Jimin,” he said, narrowing his little eyes. “That’s your name?” The Doctor nodded. “I don’t like doctors.”

The Doctor’s smile fell apart, but he recomposed himself quickly enough. “I’m sorry to hear that, but it’s nice to meet you, Jimin. My friend over there is also called Jimin,” he pointed at his back.

Little Jimin’s eyes looked at said direction and he waved his hand. The Doctor quickly looked at his Jimin, seeing him waving at himself, dumbfounded.

“We can help you find the owner, Jimin.” The Doctor turned to the boy. “Can I see the coin?”

Little Jimin nodded, gave it to him and walked toward Jimin, who immediately stepped back, careful not to make any sort of contact with the kid.

“Are you okay?” the boy asked him, confused. “I’m not gonna hurt you or something,” he assured, holding his little hands up—which proved to be a little hard with him also trying to hold the ball, but he somehow managed—as to say he came in peace.

The Doctor smiled at that.

“Uh,” Jimin started. “I’m okay, it’s just…” he gulped. “You’re so cute, and you remind me of someone I know,” he offered little Jimin a smile. “Someone I haven’t seen in a long time,” he added.

“Oh,” little Jimin nodded. “It sucks you haven’t seen them in a long time. Do you wanna play?” he offered his ball to Jimin.

Jimin took the ball carefully and distanced himself from the boy, throwing the ball at little Jimin a few instants later.

The Doctor left them to play and started to analyze the object that was handed to him. He instantly noticed this wasn’t a normal coin. It was much heavier and looked different. There were some ancient designs carved on both sides, some symbols he couldn’t decipher.

He immediately went back to the console, placing the coin on a scanning device, waiting for the TARDIS to make some readings. After some seconds, he had his answer.

“Did you find the owner?” Little Jimin’s voice snapped him out of his trance. The boy was still playing, but also looking at his surroundings. “This place is weird, but cool.”

“Yeah, I did. And I’m glad you like it because you’re gonna be spending some time in here.”

“I thought you said we couldn’t get close to him,” his Jimin whispered when he stopped by the Doctor’s side.

“That was before I found out who owns this.” He pointed at the coin. “And you can’t still be too close, so please keep your distance.”

“What? Are you going to explain?”

“This coin belongs to an alien race that I didn’t know was still alive,” he explained. “They’re called the Karsi, and they’re pretty much made of rocks.” He looked at Jimin, worry all over his face. “I used to hear stories about them when I was a kid.”

“That must have been a really long time ago,” Jimin joked, only then noticing the Doctor was not laughing. “Are they dangerous?”

“Yeah, they are. And it has everything to do with this coin that he’s found.” They both glanced at little Jimin, who was really interested in looking around the ship. “It’s not really a coin, even though it looks like one. It’s a device made to turn whoever touches it into Karsi,” he paused. “And you’ve found it.”

“But nothing happened to me,” Jimin said. “I’ve never turned into an alien.” He lifted his arms, showing himself to the Doctor.

The Doctor caught a glimpse of something on the palm of his hand and quickly grabbed it. Jimin stopped and looked at it as well. There was a small spot in the middle that was changing color. It was turning beige and solidifying.

“Jimin,” the Doctor called the boy. “Can you show me your hand?”

When little Jimin held his hand and waved at them, he confirmed what he already knew.

Both Jimins were turning into Karsi.

 

* * *

 

Jimin was freaking out. He had thought he’d seen everything in his life, but no. This was beyond anything he’s ever been through, and he didn’t know what to do. The first thing on his mind after he’d realized what was happening was to scratch his hand. He did it multiple times, trying to get it out of his skin, but nothing happened.

“Jimin.” He heard the Doctor’s voice but didn’t look at him. He was too focused on his hand. “Jimin, you won’t manage to get it out like that,” he sounded tired.

When Jimin looked at him, he saw how worried the Doctor was. And that scared him.

“What can I do to get it out?” he managed, wanting to find out what his options were. “Is there anything you can do?”

The Doctor shook his head. “I was looking at the components of the device and there’s nothing I can do here to remove what has been done to you.”

“What if I cut my hand off?” Jimin suggested, trying to think logically.

The Doctor frowned. “It could work,” he considered. “Technically, it’s only in your hand. And that would be fine if it was just in you.” He peered at the boy. “But it’s in him as well, so even if you cut your hand off, you’d still turn into Karsi, because he would.”

“Let’s cut his hand off then,” Jimin told him, knowing it was an insane suggestion, but if it meant saving their lives, he was down for whatever.

“No,” the Doctor said. “I’m not gonna do that to a child unless it’s really necessary, and we still have time.”

“Time for what?” Jimin was starting to lose his cool. “I’m gonna be an alien soon!”

“You’re alien?” little Jimin asked, suddenly listening to them.

“No!” Jimin almost yelled, then closed his eyes, trying to think clearly. “Why don’t you go play with your ball, Jimin?” he said with a grim. “There are some really cool rooms around here, you could check them out,” he suggested.

He shrugged and started to explore.

“If I can find the Karsi and ask what is going on, we can stop this. They probably have a way to reverse this, we just need to find them, Jimin,” he pleaded. “Just let me do this before we start cutting little boy’s hands off.”

Jimin took a deep breath.

He could do this, he thought, looking at his hand. The Doctor knew what he was doing. This was the hardest thing he’d ever come around, but the Doctor had seen some weird shit out there, probably weirder than this. And if he was telling Jimin that there was another way, he believed him.

He sighed, closing his eyes.

“Okay,” he said. “How can we find them?”

“I’m glad you asked,” the Doctor moved back to the panel. “I’ve been trying to track the signal this coin gives, and it’s coming from different locations around the city,” he explained, pointing at a map on the monitor above the console. Jimin could see different dots flickering on the map. “There are a lot of them, which makes me think that these dots are devices left on different places.”

“Why would they leave them there?” Jimin wondered.

“My best guess is that they are willingly trying to turn people into Karsi,” the Doctor admitted. “Probably because there are only a few of them. Like I said before, I thought they were all dead.”

“So they’re trying to avoid extinction.” The Doctor nodded. “Why don’t they just procreate or something?” He rolled his eyes.

“I have no idea,” the Doctor confessed. “I don’t really know much about them, just what I’ve heard before and what I’m gathering from this coin. But our best chance now is to look for these devices, which may lead to them.”

“What if there are others infected?”

“Then we need to find them as well and hope that we can help them too.”

“This place is so cool!” Came little Jimin’s voice. “Can I live here?”

The Doctor laughed. “I think your parents would miss you if you moved here.”

The boy’s expression dulled. “You’re right, I need to go back home.”

“Is that okay?” Jimin asked. “Can he go home? Isn’t the thing contagious?”

“I think he’ll be safer home than with us right now,” the Doctor said. “It’s not contagious because it’s linked to him since he’s the one who touched it. It only works once. Also, I touched your hand and nothing happened to me, so…” he trailed off.

The three of them walked out of the TARDIS and little Jimin started to run and then stopped, looking at them.

“Thanks for helping me with the coin,” he smiled. “I’ll see you around.”

Jimin’s heart almost broke. He thought they’d helped him when they didn’t, not yet anyway. And it was all his fault. If he hadn’t come here, none of this would’ve happened.

“You don’t know that,” the Doctor touched his shoulder.

He didn’t realize he’d said that out loud.

“But this didn’t happen before. Only when we arrived here,” Jimin insisted.

“Jimin, listen to me,” the Doctor said, staring right at him. “Yes, this didn’t happen before. But somehow the Karsi came to this time and place and started doing this. We don’t know for sure, but we need to find out, so we can stop them and stop what they’ve done to you.” He touched Jimin’s cheek. “I promise you I won’t stop until you and your past self are fine.”

Jimin touched the Doctor’s hand and gave him a sad smile. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Doctor.”

“I intend to keep this one, Park Jimin.”

 

* * *

 

After fetching two pairs of gloves—Jimin had insisted on getting one as well, despite the fact that he had already been infected, claiming that it could get him even more infected if he didn’t wear gloves—they were hunting coins on the streets of Busan. The Doctor had used his sonic screwdriver on Jimin’s phone, connecting it to the map in the TARDIS so it would be easier for them to find the devices. They’d found a bunch of them already, but there were still plenty to get.

“What are we going to do with all of these devices?” Jimin asked after picking one up, giving it to the Doctor so he could deactivate the transmitter with his screwdriver, and throwing it in the bag he was carrying.

The Doctor looked at Jimin’s phone, noticing there was another coin nearby, and walked to the middle of the street, picking it up and going back to the sidewalk before getting hit by a car.

“If we don’t find any of the Karsi while looking for these,” he said, holding the coin so Jimin could see it, “then I’ll use my screwdriver to see if I can get a signal of where they might be.”

They started walking again since the next coin was a few miles away. The Doctor had no idea how they were going to catch all of them, but he certainly had to start somewhere. He knew finding all the coins to be impossible, but he wouldn’t give up just yet. He was just hoping he’d find the Karsi before it was too late.

“I was thinking…” Jimin started, looking at his phone. “These coins are all over Busan, and Busan is huge…” he trailed off, probably reaching the same conclusion the Doctor had. “How are we supposed to get them all?”

“I don’t think we will,” he answered honestly. “Hopefully we’ll find them before we have to walk all over Busan.”

“You know that’s not possible, right?” Jimin gave him a nervous laugh. “That’s great, I just have to accept the fact that I’m going to die.”

The Doctor took a deep breath, looking at him. “Just let me concentrate so I can find a way to save you. I can’t do that and think of how we’re going to collect all devices at the same time,” he snapped.

“Namjoon could!” Jimin argued.

“Well, he’s not here, is he?” he countered, opening his arms and looking around before facing Jimin. “I’m not Namjoon. You should know that by now.”

He kept walking, hoping Jimin would follow. He knew he had been harsh with his companion instants ago, and he regretted it the moment the words came out of his lips. Things were just so hard at the moment. He had been too focused on saving Jimin he forgot that Jimin was more nervous than him.

Jimin spoke before he could apologize.

“You know,” he said as nothing had happened. “You say you’re not Namjoon, so maybe you’re someone else,” he pondered.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, glancing at Jimin. “What do you mean? I’m still the Doctor,” he assured.

Jimin shook his head. “I know that. That’s not what I’m trying to say.” He sighed. “What I meant is that maybe… Maybe you need a new name.”

“Doctor is fine,” he retorted.

Jimin whined. “But that’s not fair! You let Taehyung give you a name.”

“Namjoon did,” the Doctor corrected. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Fine,” Jimin rolled his eyes. “Maybe _you_ should let _me_ choose a name for you. I’m dying, after all, you should grant me one last wish.”

The Doctor considered Jimin’s words for a second. He knew Jimin wasn’t dying—he was turning into an alien, it’s different—but he would do anything to make Jimin feel better, especially after acting like an asshole minutes ago.

“Okay,” he said, and the fact that Jimin instantly grinned made his heart flutter. “But make it a good one, will you? Names are important, I don’t want you calling me something foolish,” he warned.

“Of course!” Jimin gave him a side hug. “I’m gonna think of the best name!”

The Doctor tensed because of the hug, still not used to it. Despite the uneasiness, he couldn’t help but share Jimin’s enthusiasm. It seemed his mind was finally off the problem they were trying to solve. Although he would do the impossible to prevent it from happening, if Jimin really turned into an alien, he wanted his last moments as a human to be good. And if choosing a name for him would make Jimin feel better, then so be it.

Unfortunately, he still had a job to do. Finding the coins was his priority now, so he let Jimin mumbling about names while he searched for the next one.

“Look, the coin is on the other side of that window,” he pointed at the closed window they were next to.

“Go get it, Jake!” Jimin shouted.

“What?” the Doctor seemed confused. “Who’s Jake?”

“You,” Jimin smiled. “I’m gonna start calling you names.”

The Doctor groaned, kind of regretting letting Jimin pick a name for him. Still, there were worse things right now, and getting that coin was one of them. He sighed, then knocked on the window, hoping someone would open it.

 

* * *

 

They were back in the TARDIS and they weren’t alone. After knocking on the window, a woman ended up opening it, and as it would be expected, she had touched the coin, that was why it was on the inside of the window—which was kinda obvious, but still a sad thing to happen.

The Doctor had decided the coin hunt was over, and Jimin was partly glad for it. Walking around Busan wasn’t something he wanted to do, not when he was going to be an alien soon. He wanted to spend the time thinking about a name for the Doctor before it was too late and he wasn’t himself anymore.

They managed to convince the woman, Jiwoo, to come with them, after explaining what was going on. She had been shocked, of course, especially after noticing that her skin was changing. But as he did to Jimin, the Doctor was able to calm her a little by saying he would do whatever he could to change their situation.

“What are you doing, Mark?” Jimin surprised the Doctor by stopping beside him next to the console.

“Jesus, Jimin,” the Doctor said. “Stop calling me random names.”

“But I need to find the perfect name!” Jimin protested, thinking of something a second later. “What about Jesus, though?”

“No,” the Doctor sighed. “Why don’t you google some names while I track the Karsi through the devices?” he suggested.

“Do you think you’ll be able to find them like that?” Jimin questioned, feeling better.

“I guess,” the Doctor said without looking at him. “We got a lot of them, so it should work,” he sounded hopeful. “Please tell Jiwoo we’ll be moving in a few minutes.”

Jimin nodded and looked around, searching for Jiwoo. She’d been impressed by the TARDIS—as everyone who stepped inside before had—and hadn’t stopped babbling for a whole minute about how it was bigger on the inside. It still amazed him how the ship/time machine worked, so he couldn’t say he didn’t get her reaction, ‘cause he absolutely did.

And that was how he found her, studying everything she could with wide eyes and an astonished expression on her face.

“Hey,” he called. “Are you okay?”

“I’m trying to focus on this place instead on the fact that I’m turning into an alien,” she admitted, trying hard not to look at her arm, which was almost fully turned into stone. “What about you?” she pointed at his hand.

Jimin shuddered a little. He himself was trying not to think about it, but it was difficult. Except for his pinky, his hand was covered in stone—or _was_ stone. It was hard like that already, so he could imagine what Jiwoo was going through. Hell, he was going to experience that if the Doctor didn’t find a solution for this.

“We can’t lose hope just yet,” he found himself saying. “You may not believe in this, but the Doctor got out of worse situations,” he gave her a reassuring smile. “I know we haven’t known each other for long, but if it makes you feel better, I trust him. I know he’ll do whatever it takes to help us.”

Before she could respond, the Doctor screamed.

“I’ve found them!”

Jimin and Jiwoo both ran to his side. “I’m gonna use the TARDIS to get us to where they are, which is a little bit far from here, so… grab onto something!” he warned, before doing his usual thing and getting them moving once more.

 

* * *

 

He had to admit, it wasn’t easy tracking the Karsi down, but he had been right: the amount of signal all those devices were sending was enough to get the coordinates to where its source was located. It took him a while, but there they were, inside the Karsi spaceship.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” he said, getting Jimin and Jiwoo’s attention. “Jiwoo isn’t used to this, so she’s staying in the TARDIS.” He paused, and when she was about to protest, he continued. “Please, just listen to me, I know what I’m doing, right, Jimin?” Jimin nodded. “Okay, great. Now that it’s two against one, Jimin and I are going to find them and demand an explanation,” he smiled, proud of his plan.

“Just like that?” Jiwoo asked with an arched brow. “I don’t know about this…”

“Just like that,” he repeated, opening the TARDIS’ door.

He quietly looked around, checking if there weren’t any Karsi near, and when he was sure they were alone, he stepped in the spaceship, motioning Jimin to follow.

The TARDIS had stopped at the end of a corridor, so it wasn’t hard to decide to where they should go. They started walking in a straight line, making sure they weren’t making any loud noises that would draw attention to their whereabouts inside the Karsi ship. Before telling his plan to Jimin and Jiwoo, he had waited a few seconds to make sure their arrival hadn’t triggered any alarms. Everything was quiet, as it should be. He was counting on the element of surprise as an advantage against the Karsi, but every step they took made him question his plan.

“Jinyoung, are you sure?” Jimin whispered behind him, making him roll his eyes.

“Jimin,” he reprimanded. “Now is _not_ the time to call me different names.”

“What if they kill us?” Jimin retorted. “Then I won’t get the chance to name you.”

“They won’t kill us,” the Doctor promised. “Wait ‘til you’re all good to pick me a name, okay?”

“So you don’t like the name?” Jimin checked, and when he shook his head, Jimin let out a muffled laugh. “Me neither, but you never know, right?”

They continued walking through the long corridor until they found a turn. They took it, and it led them to the control room. When he noticed there were two Karsi inside, he backed a few steps, holding Jimin beside him.

“There are two of them there,” he mouthed, raising two fingers so there was no miscommunication between them. “I’m gonna go there,” he said, raising his hand when Jimin was about to say something. “And you’re gonna stay here.”

“What if there’s more?” Jimin mouthed back.

“Then you run to the TARDIS and get the hell out of here,” the Doctor said, giving Jimin’s hand a firm squeeze. “I’m gonna save you and Jiwoo and everyone who’s been infected one way or another, but I’m not gonna put you in more danger, okay? Promise me you’ll go, Jimin.”

Jimin pursed his lips, clearly reluctant. “I promise,” he ended up saying.

The Doctor nodded once and turned his back to Jimin. He took a deep breath before walking to the control room.

The first thing he noticed when he entered the room besides the two Karsi was that it was rather empty, except for the panels, screens and hundreds of buttons on the tables that were attached to the round walls. Very traditional, he would say. Lots of spaceships were like that, tasteless. But he couldn’t expect much from creatures who were trying to ruin other people’s lives by turning them into their own kind.

“What do we have here?” he said, projecting his voice so it would sound louder and hopefully scare the Karsi, who hadn’t noticed him until now. “I have to say,” he continued when they turned around, alarmed. “I was expecting more of you.”

“Who are you?” one of them asked.

They started to walk to where he was, but he held his sonic up high, and that made the Karsi stop. They didn’t know the screwdriver was almost harmless and the Doctor was more than glad for that. It gave him enough time to get the answers he needed, or so he hoped.

“I’m the Doctor,” he said, smiling. “And you’re the Karsi.”

“We have heard of you,” the other Karsi said.

They were both very similar, except for their height. One was a few inches taller than the other. Otherwise, they could be twins, for all he cared. Even their leather robes were the same dark red color.

“Nice,” he grinned. “I’ve heard of you, too. But I thought you guys were all dead,” he pouted. “Imagine my surprise when I found out you weren’t. And that you were turning humans into Karsi,” he exaggerated in his surprised expression. “Tell me why you’re doing that,” he demanded. “And how.”

“Why would we tell you that?” If they had eyebrows, the Doctor imagined they would be raising them now.

“Because I can decimate you,” he simply answered. “And all your work would’ve been for nothing.”

The aliens shared a brief glance.

“You were right,” one of them said. “We were dead. Most of us. But few survived the war, and after repairing what was left of our technology, we have been trying to find a compatible race that allows us to restore our kind.”

“This is the third planet we visit,” the other continued. “This is the first time our experiment has shown a successful result,” he smiled. Or at least the Doctor thought that was a smile—an ugly one, by the way. “Humans are weak, but now we are going to make them strong. Strong enough to be like us.”

The Doctor watched them, disgust on his face.

“Yes,” he nodded. “ _Like you_ , but they will never _be_ you, so your experiment is a failure,” he smirked. “Ever since I came across one of your little coins, I’ve been wondering about this. You’re turning humans into Karsi, but you’re forgetting that although their exterior may be changing, their DNA will still be there.”

One of them seemed to frown. It was hard to say with that stone face. “What do you mean?”

“Oh,” the Doctor burst into laughter. “You don’t even know,” he tsked. “I’ve analyzed some of the people you’re trying to turn into Karsi,” he explained. “And although their skin is changing and soon they’ll look like you, they’ll still be them,” he concluded. “Even the Cybermen had more luck than you in that matter.”

“Do not compare us to the Cybermen!” the Karsi in the left said, clearly pissed.

“Why not?” the Doctor pressed. “They’re ugly, but you guys are way uglier, I gotta give you that.”

He was starting to irritate the Karsi, and even though it was rather entertaining for him, he knew he was running out of time. He had to find a way to cure those who’d been infected, and he had to do it fast before the Karsi realized he wasn’t holding a weapon to destroy them.

“So,” he started. “I’m going to give you the chance to undo all of this,” he said as politely as he could. “We don’t have to be enemies. But you have to stop the process that has been transforming all those humans into Karsi.”

The one in the right snorted. “And why would we do that?”

“Literally because of all I just said.” The Doctor rolled his eyes. “You’re creating an impure race, is that what you want?”

They paused, apparently considering what the Doctor had just said.

“But where else would we find a compatible race to recreate our species?”

The Doctor was about to answer and someone else spoke before he could. “That is exactly what he’s been trying to make you understand,” Park Jimin echoed behind him.

“What are you doing, Jimin?” the Doctor inquired, turning to face his companion.

“I got this,” Jimin said, walking past him and in the Karsi’s direction. “I’ve been infected by one of your coins.” Jimin held out his stone hand for them to see. “Well, not me. My younger self picked up your coin,” he explained. “He’s just a six-year-old boy, he doesn’t know he’s going to change. I wouldn’t care that much if it were me,” he pointed at himself. “But he doesn’t deserve that. None of the people you’ve infected deserve this. You don’t get to decide to change an entire species just because yours is on the verge of extinction.” The Doctor never doubted Jimin, but he was impressed by his steady voice and collected posture. “All I’m asking is for you to stop the process. I’m sure you can find a way to recreate your race that doesn’t affect others the way this one does.”

 _Dammit_ , the Doctor thought, there was no way an emotional speech like that could possibly change their minds. They were made of stone, for fuck’s sake. They probably had no heart—unlike him, that had two, and was moved by what Jimin said—and were about to kill both of them, he assumed.

He carefully watched the Karsi, their expression impossible to read. They looked at each other for what it felt like hours, but it only lasted a few seconds. They nodded at each other and turned to face his companion.

And that was how Park Jimin saved the world.

 

* * *

 

After his touching speech—the Doctor’s words, not his—the aliens decided to undo everything and return to their planet to find the right way to prevent their extinction. Jimin couldn’t thank them enough—although they were the ones to blame to begin with—and said that if they needed help with anything, they could contact him. He had absolutely no idea how he could be of help, but it didn’t matter. His hand was back to normal and he wasn’t going to die, not today at least.

They returned to the TARDIS to give Jiwoo the good news, but as soon as they told her that, she said “she been knew already”, and started to jump around the ship, celebrating. Jimin immediately joined her and they screamed for five minutes straight, too happy that they weren’t going to be aliens.

They took her home soon after that.

Jimin wanted to check on little Jimin’s hand before they went back to the present, so the Doctor took him there. He would be lying if said he was fine. He wasn’t. He was very nervous, in fact. Afraid that one of his parents would open the door and recognize him, or that they wouldn’t let him see his past self.

But his worries were put aside when he was the one to open the door.

“Hi, Jimin-hyung,” little Jimin said, then looked past Jimin and caught the Doctor standing there. He made a face. “Hi, Doctor,” he singsonged, looking down.

“What’s wrong?” the Doctor asked, genuinely concerned.

“Nothing,” he said. “I just don’t like your name,” he shrugged.

That made Jimin laugh. “I’ve spent the entire day trying to come up with a new name for him, but I can’t think of anything,” he grumbled. “Do you have any suggestions?” Jimin asked himself.

Little Jimin hummed a bit, clearly thinking. Jimin hoped the name was good because he didn’t have it in him to disappoint a child, especially if the child was him.

“Yeah, I do,” he smiled. “He looks like my stuffed kitten Yoongi, so we should call him Yoongi,” he said, matter-of-factly.

Jimin’s eyes widened. He was shocked. Partly because he had forgotten all about his stuffed cat Yoongi, but mostly because the name little Jimin suggested was actually really good and better than all the names he had thought before.

“Wow,” Jimin grinned. “I love it, it’s perfect!” He held his hand so little Jimin could give him a high five, but then remembered they couldn’t touch each other and quickly made a thumbs up instead. His past self did the same, and he noticed that his little hand was back to normal as well.

“Do you like it?” little Jimin asked the Doctor.

“Um,” the Doctor started. “I… thought I didn’t need a new name,” he admitted. “But the one you suggested is pretty good,” he smiled awkwardly. “I like it,” he decided. “Thanks, Jimin.”

“It was nothing,” little Jimin waved his hand in a dismissive way. “Look,” he said, all serious now. “I have to go, ‘cause it’s dinner time, but I’d like to see you again, Jimin-hyung,” he looked at Jimin, “and Yoongi-hyung.” Jimin’s heart stopped right there, and he was pretty sure both of the Doctor’s hearts stopped as well.

They said their goodbyes, promising to come back—even though they knew it was a lie—and little Jimin went back inside. While they were making their way to the TARDIS, Jimin whined.

“I can’t believe I didn’t get to name you.”

“But you kinda did.”

Jimin gave him an impassive look. “So you accept the name, then?” he asked, excitedly.

“I didn’t say that,” Yoongi smirked as they entered the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm really glad you guys like this, seriously. thanks for reading! <3
> 
> so, this chapter. i can't believe i created an alien race??? let me tell you, it's not easy. also... yoongi's name. i know the doctor's called the doctor, but i was tired of calling yoongi that all the time. so this happened.
> 
> as usual, i'd love to know what you think about this chapter!


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